Room For Absolution
by AngstyAphrodite
Summary: He had always had a soft spot for her. Though for Loki that wasn't exactly saying much…it simply meant he played less tricks on her than anyone else. But in the end she was his only hope, his only chance for redemption, for absolution.
1. Chapter 1

I don't use names in my stories, because that's how I roll. However this story is about Loki. He's one of my favorite characters but I tried to keep him somewhat in character. Ehh I don't feel like ranting about how misunderstood Loki is, just know that he is! That is all for now. Enjoy and review!

It was a night just like any other; she waited until everyone in the palace was asleep or at least no longer in the hallways and then she slipped into his empty room. Her actions were quick as she got under the many blankets and laid her head on the pillow, eyes trained on the huge window and its view of the city and the twinkling night sky. As her eyelids started to grow heavy, she began to drift into a light sleep.

She was shaken from her sleep-induced haze when something cold was suddenly pushed against her throat. She was pulled upright by someone behind her, and she suddenly felt ragged breathing against her cheek. "Who are you?" his masculine, panicked tone was somehow overcome by his smooth voice, and she immediately knew who it was. Her shock rendered her speechless, which was furthered more by the abrupt realization that he was holding a knife to her throat. His grip on one of her wrists tightened as the silence continued, and she struggled to speak. Finally her name came out in a squeak, but the knife stayed in place. She gathered her wits enough to explain herself further, "I was your maid."

His hand immediately fell from her throat, and his other released its grip on her wrist. She quickly scrambled away from him to the other end of his bed, quickly turning to face him. He kept a hold on his knife, but she watched as his body sagged and he relaxed enough to sit down. His black hair was longer, curling outwards at the end. His eyes were sunken in, and seemingly empty. His skin was paler than normal, and he had lost a significant amount of weight. Her throat seemed to constrict, and she didn't know if it was because the adrenaline was wearing off and her body was finally reacting to her fear, or if because she hadn't seen him for two years.

He stared at her, his eyes holding hers and refusing to break the contact, even with a blink. She couldn't hold his gaze though, and her eyes quickly fell to study the blanket she was sitting on. "Why were you sleeping in my bed?" he was calmer, but his voice was uncharacteristically gruff.

She looked back up at him, a slight blush blooming on her cheeks. His stare was unwavering. "I…well…" she once again seemed to lose her voice, and he raised an eyebrow in a questioning expression. Her cheeks seemed to heat up even more, and she finally spit out her explanation, "Well…we didn't…well that is everyone else didn't think you were coming back," she paused when his jaw locked and his face suddenly tensed up in an attempt to look emotionless. She took a deep breath before continuing, "Well your brother still thought you would come back, and I had always hoped he was right," his face remained stoic even after her small confession, and she nervously pushed on, "So he asked me to stay and keep your room prepared for your return. And…well…I felt silly always changing completely clean bed sheets, and so since I don't really have anywhere else to sleep…I…well you get it…" her voice droned off and she quickly stopped talking; he opened his mouth to say something, but then hurriedly shut it as a realization of some type dawned on him. His eyes narrowed and he studied her face for a few moments.

"You're an orphan aren't you?" Her lips pursed together, but she gave a small nod in acknowledgement. Neither said anything for awhile after that; she busily picked at her nails, and he closed his eyes trying to draw on some sort of extra strength. She shyly looked back up at him, and, as if feeling her gaze he opened his eyes to peer back at her. "Well my brother has put me on, what the earth mortals would call, house arrest. So you don't have to worry about your job. For tonight you can stay here, I wouldn't want to take away your newly acquired home," his last statement although laced with sarcasm had an underlying tone of seriousness.

Suspicious, her eyes narrowed in on him, and he suddenly adopted an innocent expression. With a shrug of his shoulders a small smile spread across his face, and she struggled to decipher if it was genuine or not. "I'll sleep on the floor. Trust me." This time she crossed her arms in stubbornness, he wasn't exactly known for being trustworthy. His smile was replaced with a knowing smirk, "What you don't trust the god of lies?" He then slid off the bed, dragging a pillow and blanket with him. He set himself up on the soft rug beside the bed. She peered over the side of the bed looking down at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He returned her look, his face suddenly growing serious. "You're smart. But we have similar backgrounds, so I'd like to think we both kind of understand each other. So trust me?" His voice had softened, and she was too tired to doubt the sincerity in his voice. So she crawled under the covers and closed her eyes but despite her pure exhaustion, sleep seemed to elude her.

She made sure her breaths were even; with her back turned towards where he was sleeping, she peered out from under her eyelashes to stare out his window, hoping maybe the stars would lull her to sleep. Her breath caught in her throat when he whispered her name; she did not reply though and simply continued to keep her breathing relaxed. She heard a shuffling noise from where he was laying, and suddenly she felt a dip in the bed. She grit her teeth, but continued to feign sleep.

Goosebumps spread across her arm, when all of a sudden he languidly dragged his hand down her arm, and in a demeaning voice he whispered "You thought I would give up my bed? You thought you could trick me?" She remained silent, and an amused laugh escaped from him. "Go to sleep," he told her, and she bristled at his commanding tone but again stayed quiet. He then turned his back to her, and as far as she could tell he fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

She woke up with the sun, as was customary for her; though it was much harder to force her eyes open because she had been kept up the night before. She silently slid out from under the covers looking over to see him on his side facing her and fast asleep. She swiftly left the room, and slipped out the door. When she turned from closing the door, she jumped a bit at the presence of two large guards standing on either side of the door. One of them gave her a curious look, and she blushed furiously under his gaze; "I'm his maid," she mumbled in a poor explanation, "I'll be back later too." Before one of them could comment on her all night presence in his room, she skirted away from them and briskly walked down the hall.

She cleaned all the other rooms she was in charge of, before finally going back to his room. She carried clean towels and bed sheets, a small feather duster in her hand. She gave a small smile to the new guards, thankful it wasn't the ones from that morning. The younger guard beamed back at her, and hurriedly opened the door for her. "Thanks," she whispered quietly, her smile growing bigger. With the door closed behind her she looked up to see him still in bed, with his torso up resting against the headboard. He studied his fingernails as she moved further into the room, then he looked up with devilish smirk, "Flirting on the job."

A blush stained her cheeks at his implications, but once again she decided silence was the best response. He wiggled his eyebrows at her, which she chose to ignore while she made her way to his adjoining bathroom to clean.

"I haven't even been in there," he said offhandedly as she began to change out the towels.

"I know," she replied in a monotone voice. She heard a groan from the bed, and then his light footsteps as he walked over. She suddenly shrieked as the clean towels she had brought suddenly transformed into two white doves. They quickly flew in circles around the bathroom, and finally out the door and then through the open window.

She heard his low chuckle from where he was leaning against the bathroom door frame, "I told you it was clean."

Without even thinking or turning to face him, she repeated what he said in a nasally, mocking voice. He immediately grew quiet, and she slowly rotated on her heel to face him. She nervously met his gaze, his eyes bore into hers. "I'm…I'm sorry," she stuttered out.

A dazzling smile spread across his face, "Just clean the bathroom." She obediently nodded her head, and he turned his back to her. He paused on his way back to his bed, and swiftly snapped his fingers. She knew without looking around that the bathroom was in shambles.

When she finally finished cleaning his mess, she timidly entered back into his room, hoping his typically undetectable temper would have diminished or had disappeared all together; the latter, she knew was nearly impossible. He didn't even look up from the book he was engrossed in, and a light sigh of relief escaped her as she began to dust. She knew he was no longer reading when the dust that covered nearly half of his unused tables and chairs began to disappear before she even reached it with the feather duster. She turned her head slightly to the side to be greeted with a self satisfied smirk plastered on his face. It only grew when she pivoted to face him fully, and her silent question was asked with the rise of one eyebrow.

His eyes left hers and fell on the clean bed sheets she had brought, "You need to make the bed, since the current sheets are probably quite soiled from last night." She stood in her spot as he stared expectantly at her from where he was still lounging on his bed. "No blush?" he asked, sounding nearly disappointed. Her teeth clenched together and his face slightly lightened.

She struggled to get her words out for a few seconds, his sudden shift in attitude unnerving her, "My…my lord…if you don't…I would prefer to sweep and then make your bed while you go before your father and bro…" the last syllables fell off as she watched his eyebrows pull together and he seemed to steel himself again an invisible attack.

"Am I to be summoned before the king and his son?" he asked spitefully. Her eyes were wide as she quickly nodded in affirmation; she had only heard it as gossip in the halls but she was quite convinced of its truthfulness. She silently noted his choice of words regarding his brother and father. She saw his twisted humor fall away as he pulled his lips into a straight line, and folded his arms across his chest like some petulant child. "Well that does sound like a perfect time to change the sheets," he spat out.

An hour or two later when several guards entered the room to take him away, he was already standing and ready. His arrogant and constantly amused expression was gone and replaced with a vacant stare as he willingly followed them out; hands bound in chains and a some sort of gag over his mouth. His eyes brightened a bit as he looked at her, and he slyly winked at her, finally gaining a blush from her. Although she couldn't see his mouth she knew her reaction was causing him to smile, and despite his amusement resulting from her own embarrassment she couldn't help but give a small smile in return.

She quickly changed the sheets; wanting to be done before he returned to mock her and her chores. She sat on the corner of the bed, hands folded in her lap, waiting. As the minutes passed she realized it was going to be awhile before he was brought back. So she carefully made her way across the newly laid blankets and gently took a hold of the book he had been reading. She nestled herself against his pillows, her back elevated and began to read.

The words were strange, and few made sense to her but the farther she got into the book she the more she began to understand that the book in her hands was one about magic, and based on the owner of the book she knew it couldn't be any good. She pressed on, continuing to make her way through the foreign words trying to comprehend them. She was so lost in the book that she did not hear when he was roughly pushed back into the room, struggling to remain on his own two feet. She was pulled from her reverie when he suddenly sat next to her, chin resting on her shoulder, reading along with her.

She looked at him from the corner of the eye, and it was a few seconds before he caught her stare. He then sat up fully beside her, "That doesn't seem like your kind of book," his voice wasn't demeaning only objective.

"No," she whispered softly as she closed the book. She looked up at him curiously, but he stared at the far wall, lost in thought. Without thinking her fingers ghosted over the marks that the chain had left on his wrists. He turned and tilted his head to study her, and her hands quickly withdrew. "What happened?" came her timid voice. She regretted her words as soon as they left her lips, which was only worsened when his hands clenched into fists.

She began to scoot away from him as the silence grew, but when his eyes caught hers she froze. "The king is not happy," his tone was light and amused but she noticed his hands remained balled up, "And his son remains foolishly optimistic." She stared intensely at the book that lay between them, but she ran her fingers lightly over his knuckles, and whispered unsurely, "Maybe your brother is not so foolish."

He studied her, but she refused to look up at him, too intent on watching her fingers trace his hand. He suddenly moved his hand and grabbed a hold of her wrist, tightly, "What are you doing?" he asked, his tone both rough and confused. "I don't…you just seem lonely," she stammered. He dropped her wrist, and picked up his book, completely ignoring her as he began to read.

She slowly moved away from him, and eventually swung her legs over, her feet resting on the soft carpet. He suddenly glanced her way, and she gave him a sheepish look in return as she stood. "Where are you going?" he questioned her casually.

"Your dinner," she muttered under her breath. She wasn't in charge of his breakfast or lunch but the head maid knew that she had time to bring the fallen prince his dinner and so that's what she did.

He gave her one more flippant look before returning his attention to his book, "Make sure its good." She didn't roll her eyes until her back was to him and she was nearly out the door. "I'm serious," he growled right before she slipped out.

When she finally returned with a platter of food, ignoring the leers she got from the guards from the night before, she opened the door to see him asleep, book open on his chest. She tiptoed into the room, stopping when she got to where he was sleeping. She gently set the plate on the bedside table, debating with herself if she should wake him or not. As her hands withdrew from the platter, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to come close to him. He didn't open his eyes until she was close; he spoke barely above a whisper, but she caught his words, "How can I be lonely if I have you?"

She quickly snatched her hand back from his grasp, her throat suddenly tight, but he didn't seem to notice because his eyes slowly drifted shut and he fell back asleep. She slowly retreated from his side, not turning her back to him until she got to the door. Once outside of his room, and out of sight of the guards, she began to run and she didn't stop until she was on the other side of the palace walls.


	3. Chapter 3

She did not return to his room until the following afternoon, hesitantly entering the room, only looking up from her feet to see where he was. He had moved from his bed and was lounging on an oversized couch. She quietly set her stuff down before hurriedly making her way to the bathroom. She spent an unnecessary amount of time cleaning the sink and floor. When she turned from where she had been trading out the towels for clean ones, a small screech escaped from her. He stood ominously in the door frame, skin still pale making his angry green eyes seem more piercing, his arms were crossed in annoyance and his stance was daunting. She bit her lip, nervously waiting for him to speak.

He took a step into the bathroom, and she stumbled back, away from him. He raised an eyebrow in slight amusement and questioning. She refused to speak, and so finally he was forced to. "You didn't sleep here last night," he told her as if she didn't know. She only nodded her head. His eyes narrowed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation, "You can talk you know?"

"Yes," she told him. A small smile briefly flitted across her face as his jaw tightened in frustration.

"Where did you sleep?" he prodded.

"I…I stayed at a friends," she lied.

"I thought we discussed this," he replied dismissively. Her brow wrinkled in confusion, and he let out an overdramatic sigh. "You shouldn't try to trick the god of lies, shouldn't lie to the god of tricks." A small smile spread across his face in admiration of his own words. She grimaced."So where did you sleep?" he asked, his voice suddenly tinged with menace and he took a step closer.

She bit the inside of her lip, but as he began to pick up his foot to take another step she finally spoke, although it was a rather broken and quiet speech, "I…I slept in an alley…I mean but it's okay because…I use to sleep there all the time…if you don't mind smell and…that's where I slept last night," she ended firmly. He leaned forward, bringing his face but inches from hers, and she fought the instinct to back away.

"You sleep here. End of discussion." He then drew back, and she didn't know whether she should be thankful or fearful. He seemed to see the confusion and struggle of emotions on her face, because he soon continued, "Don't think it's because I find your presence highly satisfying. I simply want a clean servant to represent me, and a blank face to talk to so I don't go completely mad." His voice was emotionless, leading her to believe him, and he had a slight wild smile.

With a huff, he dramatically turned his back to her and walked out of the bathroom. A breath she didn't know she had been holding was suddenly let out. She tried to shake the image of his distressed eyes from her brain; she could not figure out if he remembered his words from the night before or not. She pushed it from her mind though and finished with the towels.

She took light steps leaving the bathroom; his back was to her as he stared out at the buzzing city. She dropped the dirty towels in a heap by the door, the slight thud alerting him to her presence. He only tilted his head a bit to catch her image in his peripheral. She picked up the duster, despite the lack of dust; in fact the whole room really didn't need any cleaning, except the bed. She began to dust anyway, it was her duty, it was expected of her, well except by the prince, but his expectations were a bit different from everyone else's. That was an understatement. When he caught her actions, he finally turned to her.

He watched her for a few seconds before groaning in vexation, "Why do you continue to clean things that do not need cleaning?"

She chose not to answer him directly, but turned to face him "Why…" she paused for a moment fearing possible consequences but finally gathered her breath, "Why do you ask questions you know the answer to?" A smile spread across his face at her sudden offensive tone.

"Ahh so the orphan can speak." She quickly lost her defiant expression, and swiftly turned her back to him to continue with the dusting. He chose to keep silent and soon returned to his typical lazy position on the bed. A few tears escaped the confines of her eyes as she continued cleaning, and she hurriedly wiped them away with her arm, hoping he didn't notice her slight movement.

Abruptly his voice interrupted her thoughts, "Would you mind fetching me dinner? Last night's was rather cold," he said disdainfully. She nodded, still refusing to face him and she quickly escaped out his door.

As she headed toward the kitchen the night guard shouted at her, "Not spending the night with traitor? Shame that he will miss out on such a beautiful body." She forced each step, knowing if she froze in fear he would only continue with his verbal attack. The two guards barked with laughter, and she hurriedly turned the corner out of their sight.

She timidly returned to the hallway minutes later with a platter of food, but she had brought a page boy with her who was carrying a pitcher of water. The guards kept their silence as she entered; the boy quickly set the pitcher down on the nearest table, shooting suspicious glances towards the prince before quietly leaving.

She shifted the platter to one hand, and grabbed the pitcher with her other and brought it to the large table that she assumed he had conjured up while she was gone. He walked over and sat in the chair; he waved his hand at the chair opposite him in a gesture to show her to sit. She quietly sat down, her hands properly folded in her lap and eyes glued to the floor.

Unexpectedly she heard something slide across the table, and she hesitantly looked. Lying in front of her was a book with a tattered leather cover and a gold clasp keeping it closed. Her hands remained still, and she glanced up curiously at the trickster who was staring intently at her, waiting for a reaction. When she said nothing, and refused to touch the book he grew frustrated and spoke, "I thought this was a book you would actually like. It's an adventure story." He said the word 'adventure' as if it was a disgusting idea, nothing comparable to his magic books.

"Thank you," she murmured in way that made him think her gratitude was quite ingenuine. She apprehensively slid the book off the table and into her lap, her fingers mapping out the worn creases on the cover. He watched her inquiringly while he continued to slowly eat. She briefly looked up to see a fleeting smile on his face before she pushed her chair out and moved to sit down in one of his overly plush golden chairs. He watched as she drew her knees up and tucked them under her, and then reverently opened the book in her lap. She gently turned the cover, revealing the first page; she gazed over at him with a warm smile before beginning to read.

She continued to read even after he finished his dinner, which he obnoxiously announced so by clanging the lid down on the platter. She glanced up lazily at him, refusing to move from her chair which hid the fact that she was frightened to go out past the night guards again.

All of a sudden the book fell from her hands and she began to squeal and giggle wildly. He watched in amusement, which was accompanied by a smug smirk as the pillows that surrounded her began to tickle her unmercifully.

When her face began to turn red from the lack of breath due to her laughter, the pillows finally ceased their onslaught. Her body fell limp against the chair, and she gave him a childish glare. He returned her look with a full tooth grin, and walked over to the chair in three steps. He rested his hands on the arm rests, leaning in; effectively trapping her. She curled up into herself, her arms wrapped around her legs, chin resting on her knees.

"Are you not going to clean up after me?" he asked, sounding almost angry.

She shook her head, "I was thinking I would just take it back," a yawn interrupted her sentence, and she continued quietly, "Take it back in the morn…"Her voice fell as she realized her words could be considered disobedient. She quickly scrambled out of her coiled up position and swiftly slipped under his arms. She grabbed the platter, but before she could even take a step towards the door his arm wrapped around her forearm pulling her back.

"I was just kidding," he whispered in her ear from behind, "Don't you know I joke?" He released her, and she set the platter back down on the table. She made her way around him, and hastily grabbed a blanket and pillow before walking over to the large couch. She set the pillow against the armrest, wrapped herself in the blanket and lay down. He chuckled a bit as he, himself climbed onto his bed. She peered over at him, and he lay on his side so he could see her.

"What if I told you that was my favorite pillow?" he teased.

She studied his features, before burying her face in the pillow and closing her eyes. His laugh reverberated throughout the room. He decided not to mention that she had never changed the sheets, and soon he fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry that this chapter is shorter. I mean I like it but I usually like to have a little more than a thousand words for my chapters. In my defense I went to see Snow White and the Huntsman this weekend and I spent a lot of time ranting about it…and swooning over Chris Hemsworth. **

She woke up before the sun the following morning, her eyelids still weary with sleep but she managed to swing her legs over the edge and sit up. She looked over at the sleeping prince and silently snickered to herself. He was lying on his side still facing the couch, but at some point in the night he had brought up his legs and had curled his torso towards them. He didn't look so menacing when he was asleep. She briefly entertained the idea of drawing on him while he slept; the thought was quickly dismissed. He may enjoy tricks, but he would not spare one who dare play a trick on him. She picked up his plate, giving a dismaying look towards the clean sheets she had never put on. An exhausted sigh left her lips, and it was not as silent as she would have liked. She stilled her movements, and listened for any sign that he was awake. His breathing remained steady, and he didn't budge from his curled sleeping position. As her hand touched the door knob, a strangled noise escaped him. She quickly turned in concern, and she watched helplessly as he began to thrash back and forth on the bed; eyes still closed. She hurriedly set the plate down, and briskly walked to his side. She shouted his name a few times, his movements still sporadic. She quickly got on the bed beside him and wrapped her two hands around his wrist in an attempt to control his rash movements, still shouting his name.

He suddenly shot up, eyes wide, his chest heaving. Her grip on his wrists remained, as she made sure he was fully awake. His widened eyes stared back at hers, and she couldn't hold the look for long. He easily pulled his arms from her hold, and she made a movement to get off the bed. He wrapped his arms around her waist though and pulled her back to him. "Stay," he told her his voice commanding and smooth, no trace of the panic he had been experiencing only moments ago. That one word was his sign of distress, and she willingly let him pull her into his lap, against his chest.

Her head rested against him, and she quietly listened to his heart's rapid beating. He fell back onto the pillows, and she grabbed a handful of his shirt. He began to rub her back slowly, and his heart beat finally began to even out and his breathing returned to normal.

"I fell for such a long time," he murmured absentmindedly. She looked up at him only to see him staring out the window, lost in thought. He finally looked down at her with a cheeky grin. "Did I scare you?" he asked jokingly, his tone light.

Her eyes fell to stare at his chest, and she solemnly nodded against him. "Why did you let go?" Her voice was soft, hoping maybe he wouldn't hear, but he did.

"Nobody wanted me here," his voice was aloof and she felt his body tense beneath her; she didn't know how to respond.

"Your brother did," she finally told him. She felt his chest shake with laughter, but when it came out of his lips it was hollow and forced.

He chose to ignore her words. One of his hands left her waist to gently play with the ends of her hair. She looked up at him, chin resting easily on his chest. "Did you miss me?" he asked playfully. A genuine chuckle came from him when red began to stain her cheeks.

"Well…"she mumbled, her words unsure, "It would have…been nice to have someone to…someone to clean after so…the other servants thought it was craz…that I was crazy." Her voice had fallen quieter after each word.

He twirled a piece of her hair around his finger, "I don't know about that. People thinking you're crazy gives you permission to do anything you want." A smirk crossed his lips, before turning into a knowing smile.

"Not everything you want," she told him in a whisper before laying her cheek back against his chest.

She crinkled her nose as the rising sun shone on her face through the window. His hand had fallen from her hair and lay limp on the small of her back. "I have to go," she told him barely above a whisper.

He mumbled incoherently, his hand around her waist tightening its hold. He looked at her, his eyes struggling to stay open, and she wondered how much sleep he had actually gotten the night before. She gave him her best steely glare, and a leisurely smile spread across his face in response. His hand moved to her hip, and he carelessly shoved her off him; she easily rolled off him to the bed. She shot upright with an indignant look directed his way. He gave her an unmistakable wink, and she got off his bed with an eye roll.


	5. Chapter 5

She hurried through her other chores in the other rooms, and she went back to his room soon after lunch. He didn't even look up at her entrance, too absorbed in his book. She quietly set down a cup of tea with a few snacks she had snuck out of the kitchen. He looked over at her, uninterested, his eyes guarded, emotionless. The small smile that had been on her face all day quickly fell.

"I didn't ask for tea," he commented harshly.

She stared at him for a moment, at a loss for words at his sudden attitude shift. "I…well that is I...after your dream…use something calm…"

He interrupted her speech, "I don't need anything calming. However I would like a servant who could speak decently without the constant stuttering and pauses." His detached voice droned on and on, his spiteful stare never wandering anywhere else but her eyes.

She felt her bottom lip quivering, and a forced cruel smirk spread across his face. She roughly bit her lip, trying to still it. She couldn't seem to break away from his glare, but when she felt her eyes well up with tears she quickly backed away from him, falling into the shadows of the room. She then shuffled away to clean the bathroom.

She scrubbed at the tiles vigorously, trying to keep her sniffles quiet, and she made sure to clean the same spots multiple times, anything to make her time cleaning extended. Apparently her cries weren't as quiet as she thought, because when she finally left the bathroom and picked up the clean bed sheets, he spoke up without looking at her, "Crying on the job. Missing mommy and daddy?" his voice was calloused and demeaning.

Her widened eyes stared at him, her mind blank, and her trapped tears escaped to stream down her face. He unhurriedly raised his eyes to hers. She struggled to breathe as her throat constricted, her lungs burning. His blank gaze though caused anger to run through her veins, her cheeks reddening in rage. She dropped the sheets, her hands clenching into fists. "Just because you opened up to me doesn't mean you can just guard yourself now by being an ass," she started off quietly, her voice quickly gaining momentum though, "You are nothing more than a scared baby, a coward; you act like you don't care, but you do…you do more than other people. That's why you close yourself up, away from everyone. You're afraid of what they think. That's probably smart though, because no one likes you! Everybody hates you and…and you deserve it!" Her voice had risen to a scream during her accusation, and she breathed heavily as the weighty silence settled on them. But she had once last thing to say, it came out as a broken whisper, her anger spent, "I wish…I wish you had never come back."

She saw his façade fall for a minute; saw shimmering eyes for a second. She watched knowingly as his eyes glazed over in boredom, his jaw locked, and his own chest rapidly rising, in what she assumed to be anger.

"You can change your own damn sheets," she said, giving him a mocking, theatrical curtsy, "Your majesty." She then pivoted on her heel and all but fled the room.

She didn't return to his room that night, didn't bring him his dinner, didn't sleep there. Her foot didn't step over his room's threshold until the following afternoon. He looked over in surprise from where he was standing by his window. Her guarded red rimmed eyes met his empty sunken-in eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat and broke eye contact as she hesitantly walked to the bathroom, the one place in his room that got her away from him.

She dropped the water bucket and rags on the floor, when she suddenly heard the crash of glass. She timidly poked just her head out; he stood facing a lamp, well a broken lamp, his hand pointed towards it. She ducked back when his seething green eyes looked up at her, full of unappeasable rage.

It was a long day, while the trickster looked like he was leisurely reading a book; she knew that he was most definitely not. Every time that she finished cleaning the bathroom, the towels instantly became soiled, the tiles covered in dirt, and the counter tops dusty. He was toying with her, seeing how much she could take before she would break, again.

She didn't play into his game, even as he played the same trick for a week. She silently got new towels each time, willingly cleaned the floor and counter, and she respectfully brought him dinner every night. She no longer slept in his room, and she regretfully let her book collect dust on the couch. She took her time in getting to his room, but always left in time to avoid the night guards.

After a week of almost unbearable silence, he changed tactics. He stopped playing tricks, but his famed silver tongue turned into something more menacing.

She cautiously slipped through the door; the prince was sitting on a chair, unlike his typical lounging position in his bed. The rare smile that had been on her face, due to the day time guard's genuine curiosity of her wellbeing, fell. The prince had been waiting.

He studied her face, and his eyes never left hers, his intense look holding her eyes. He slightly nodded towards his bed, and she immediately took note that it was messier than usual. "Clean the bed first," he said casually, expression still intense and unnerving, "It was well used last night."

She turned from him and gingerly set the bathroom cleaning supplies down, trying to hide her shaking hands. She scooped up the sheets, and briskly changed his bed. He watched her the whole time, easily noting her trembling hands, her rapid blinks in a poor attempt to rid of tears, and her stubbornness to resist looking up at him. She succeeded, at least in her own mind, because she may have been shaken up, on the edge of a breakdown, but her silence towards him remained. She foolishly hoped it would unnerve him.

The next day when she entered silently, she saw his figure framed in the window; he had stepped out onto his rarely used balcony. Hands behind his back, feet set in a wide stance; his back was tense and she knew he had heard her entering. She made quick work of the sheets, before he could enter with another jab, another attack.

As she finished putting on new pillow covers, she heard the room's door abruptly fly open. Her eyes immediately shot to his doorway, and watched as six guards quietly filed in from the hallway. One of the night guards saw her, and winked at her with a lusty smile; in his hands were the cuffs and magical gag. She shirked back at their overbearing presence, holding tightly to the pillow as they made their way to the balcony. She watched helplessly as one of them roughly grabbed at the prince's shoulder pulling him back; they instantly circled him. A few seconds later he was pushed ahead of them, his mouth covered, hands behind his back, shoulders hunched, and head hanging.

The two usual night guards were the last to leave; one approached her where she was sitting on the bed. He tried to touch her hair, and she quickly moved out of the way of his beefy hand. He made a quicker movement, and easily grabbed a chunk of her hair in a fist, forcing her to draw near to him. "I look forward to finding you in my own bed," he whispered to her.

She tried to pull from him, and he released her hair, darkly chuckling at her eyes open in fear, and pale face. The two guards then exited at an increased pace to catch up with the other guards and their captive. She tried to steady her breathing, the pillow held against her in a tight grip.

She was swift in cleaning the bathroom, and dusting; she was even able to bring a platter of food before the prince returned. She left his room, and as she walked down the hallway she passed the gagged trickster and his entourage. His eyes were downcast, his body appearing limp, each step looking forced. When he heard her light footsteps he immediately looked up in her direction. At that very moment though she caught the impious eye of the night guard. She lost all color in her face, stumbled a bit, and then folded her hands together in front of her to still the trembling that threatened to overtake her whole body.

The prince halted, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, looking at her with a skeptical concern. It looked like he was about to say something, but the gag kept him silent. A guard gave him a solid punch to the shoulder forcing him to resume his walk. He conspicuously watched her as she walked away, until she rounded a corner.

**I was in an angsty mood when I wrote this. But I think it's somewhat true to his character…sometimes he can be really rather rude (hence the whole trying to take over the earth thing). I hope you enjoyed Please review; it would make me quite happy!**


	6. Chapter 6

He waited patiently the next day for her to come to his room; she was late. She pushed the door gently, foolishly hoping she could sneak past the trickster into the room. She jumped with a small scream, when she closed the door only to find him waiting behind it. His eyes narrowed in at her, a question on his lips. She tried her best to mimic him, copy his often used blank face. His eyebrows furrowed together as her body became rigid, her face stoic. Her eyes however kept glancing nervously out the window, she was late, very late; the sun had already begun to set.

He cleared his throat, trying to draw her attention back to him. Her eyes returned to him, his own eyes fell briefly to study her tightening hold on the sheets and rags. His hand shot out to rest on her shoulder, but she quickly sidestepped it, and took an unsure step back. He closed the gap, making up for her retreat. Anger flickered across his face, and she avoided his eyes then.

"What's wrong?" he asked his cold tone contradicting his question.

She shook her head in answer, and he grit his teeth. "I am a prince, and you will answer my question!" he demanded, his voice increasing in sound.

"A fallen prince," she mumbled under her breath, but he caught it.

She timidly peered up at him, watching as anger raged in his eyes. He struggled to keep his voice calm, in an attempt to unnerve her, "You didn't seem to mind that a week ago."

Her face fell, and her words came out sounding strained, "I…I was stu…stupid."

He shrugged casually, "Can't argue with the truth."

She then backed away quickly, before finally turning her back to him and trying to focus on cleaning his room. She always kept his silhouette in the corner of her eye; hoping he would eventually get in his bed and fall asleep. He continuously paced the room, eyes always trained on her. She tried to prolong the cleaning as long as she could, hoping to stay the night when the prince fell asleep. The sun soon completely disappeared; he remained awake and alert.

She hesitantly changed his sheets, and he ceased his movements and simply stood at the end of the bed, watching her closely. When she tucked the last corner of a blanket in, she looked to the window again, her hands shaking slightly at her side. She then shot him a panicked look.

He crossed his arms, and kept her stare. He cocked an eyebrow, and she took a breath before speaking quietly, "I don't…can I…" his unblinking eyes only made her voice harder to find, "Please don't make me leave tonight?" It was a pleading whisper, causing his oncoming onslaught of words to pause for a moment.

"Why?" he asked, his tone casual to hide any sort of concern she might have suspected from him.

"Your guards," was all she could manage, as her body tensed up in its own effort to still her slight shaking.

He hummed in concentration, before speaking, and she inwardly cringed at the glint of wrath in his eye, "You mean to tell me, you are so sure of your charm and beauty that you think my guards will be unable to keep their hands off you."

She gave a small nod in acknowledgement, despite his sarcastic tone, and cruel implications.

An empty laugh came from his lips, "You kid yourself by thinking that you are beautiful, that you are charming enough to seduce a man…" she violently shook her head in protest but he continued, his voice harsh, "When maybe it's because you're easy. Is that what it is? You willingly let men come and go from your bed?"

"Stop," she whispered, her voice choked.

Instead he only mocked her, "Ohh now you want me to stop. But when you attack me, I am just expected to stand still and listen like the good little prince I am? Well let me tell you I will not stand around anymore and listen to a whore."

"Stop," she practically begged, her voice just a little bit louder hoping in vain that he would hear her, would listen to her.

"Mommy and daddy must be so proud of you. Moving from one man to another…with anyone who will have you."

"Stop! Stop!" she shrieked, her eyesight blurry from the unshed tears. Her breathing was ragged, and the trembling had moved from her hands to her arms. Her legs nearly buckled under her. He paused, her sudden unleashed emotions catching him a bit off guard.

"Get out," he told her, his voice had gone cold, "I don't care what those guards do to you…just get out of my room."

She didn't hesitate to listen to him and quickly made her way to the door, briefly noting that he fled out to the balcony. She scurried out the door, her now falling tears obstructing her view. It was easy for the guard on her left to stick out his foot, effectively tripping her. The prince's room closed on its own accord behind her, leaving her trapped in the hall.

The guard easily pulled her up, very close to his burly chest. She struggled against the hold on her forearms, but there was a reason he was guarding the trickster's door and she couldn't break free. "The traitor won't miss you for a few hours will he?" the guard growled in her ear. She squirmed in his hold, trying to get away from his face and hot breath. The guard then picked her up even further off the ground and pushed her against the nearest wall, pinning her in place. A choked scream escaped her, and he briefly froze listening for the trickster, but no sound came. The guard maliciously smirked at her, "Now, now. You must be quiet." More tears welled in her eyes but she opened her mouth to shout, scream, anything to get the prince's attention. The guard however quickly covered her mouth with his own, and she once again tried to fight against him. His lips moved from her mouth and began traveling down her neck, and her body fell limp in defeat.

"Looks like your prince isn't coming," came the other guards sneer. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears still escaping down her cheeks. Suddenly one hand moved to the top of her dress, the other still firmly wrapped around her wrist; she flinched as her dress' top button easily came undone. The guard's breathing became heavier in his excitement; her lip quivered and silent sobs racked her body, her constricted throat not allowing any noise to escape.

Her eyes shot open when the guard holding her up quickly pulled his face back and began screaming in terror. She looked to see his shirt burst into blue flames, and despite their proximity the fire did not jump to her own clothing. His hand released her wrists, and she collapsed to the floor. The guard stumbled away from her, furiously beating at his shirt, trying to extinguish the flames. The prince's door suddenly slammed open, the trickster glowering in its frame; his eyes were narrowed and his now uncontrollable rage was directed at the guard who continued to scream as the fire reached his skin. She watched as the fallen prince brought up his hands to perform something more sinister than a trick, when a small whimper escaped her lips. His green eyes lost their focused glare to worriedly fall on her weakened form. He quickly waved his hand; the fire ceased its rage on the guard's body but the man was soon wound in thick rope. She watched through a blur as the prince approached her, and crouched. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist and the other under her knees. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, head resting on his shoulder as he stood up fully. Abruptly the other guard made his presence known as the prince began to make his way down the hall, away from his room, his prison. As the guard's thudding footsteps approached, the prince simply looked over his shoulder at him and muttered something under his breath.

She watched in amazement as the guard suddenly stumbled, and his fate became similar to his companion. She then burrowed her head into his neck, and he felt her lips surprisingly pull up into a small smile against his neck. "What is it?" he whispered into her ear gently.

She pulled back a bit to look at him; "You could do that all along?" her question was asked with a sly smile that would make any trickster envious.

He couldn't help but smile in return. "Yes," he said proudly, which produced a small unsure laugh from her, but a laugh none the less. Her head fell back on his shoulder, her arms holding onto him just a little bit tighter.

As he navigated through the halls, she suddenly worried about their destination. But when she saw the looming doors of the throne room her fears were both alleviated and elevated at the same time. He seemed to hesitate briefly, and she felt the slight deepening of his breath. It quickly passed though, and then he opened the door with a few incoherent words. "Lazy," she mumbled against his skin. Even as he strode into the throne room, anger in his veins, he took the time to look down at her bowed head with a smile.

His father and brother looked upon at that moment; the brother's eyes lost their empty look, seeing a glimpse of hope for his traitorous brother; the father seemed to pause, doubting briefly his harshness against his adopted son. The trickster looked up, smile gone and green eyes ablaze. The king waved his hand, wordlessly dismissing the council that was staring wide eyed at the trickster.

The king spoke, his voice echoing throughout the room, "Why have you left the confines of your room? Was I not so merciful when I allowed you to stay in such a divine room as that, instead of the prison?"

The trickster rolled his eyes at his father's dramatic antics. Feeling the girl still in his arms reminded him of his purpose though. "Why would you put rapists at my door?" The king and his son were a bit taken back at the words, especially said with such cold clarity.

The god of thunder stared at the girl curled up in his brother's arms, and he took a step down the stairs to bring him closer, "Brother, what happened?" his voice was gentle, both in respect of the girl and to be wary of his explosive younger brother.

"What does it look like?" the trickster asked through gritted teeth, trying to control his temper.

The king remained stubbornly on his throne, arms resting on the sides, refusing to speak. The god of thunder went down a few more steps, "Our guards would never…"

He interrupted his brother with a sharp retort, "Really? Why don't you tell her that?" He gestured with his head at the girl, who hadn't moved since the conversation began.

"Will she not speak for herself?" finally came the king's gruff voice.

The trickster's shock passed briefly over his face, and her body became tense against his chest. She tried to squirm out of his arms in order to pay respect to the king, but he only tightened his hold, almost painfully, and she was forced to stay in his arms.

The god of thunder finally reached the bottom of the stairs, and he hesitated, "Did they actually…" He stopped when the girl hurriedly shook her head.

The god of lies let out a heaving sigh. "I caught them before they could do anything," he said, almost proudly.

"What exactly did you do to stop them?" came the king's enraged voice.

The trickster looked up with faked timidity, "Why I only tied them up."

The king stood up, his voice gathering strength, "With your own two hands?"

The tricksters gave a small amused laugh at his father's expense, "Oh yes, with my very own two hands."

"What did you do?" the king practically growled.

The trickster flashed him a smile, "Just a simple magic trick." When he witnessed his father's rage suddenly turn into action, his smile quickly fell. The king began to make his way down the stairs, eyes trained on his adopted son.

She stiffened even further when she felt the king's rumbling steps come towards them.

The god of thunder moved between the two though, abruptly stopping his father's descent.

The trickster tried to listen as his adopted father and brother whispered to back and forth to each other, when he suddenly felt her look up at him; keeping his eyes trained on the two men he placed a reassuring kiss on her forehead. "I can stand you know?" she whispered to him. He rolled his eyes, but slowly set her on the ground and she quickly got to her feet. She stood close to his side, slightly leaning on him as they watched the prince and king get into a heated debate.

When the two Aguardian royalties finally turned to face them, the trickster grabbed her hand and impulsively threaded his fingers through hers, gripping tight. The god of thunder spoke, "I will take the girl to her chambers, and will personally guard her until this matter is handled." The trickster squeezed her hand reassuringly, but his face was grim. His brother continued, "And brother, you must stay with father for now." She automatically returned his hand squeeze, causing him to give a small chuckle.

With an encouraging nod from the trickster she easily followed the god of thunder out of the throne room, leaving the two brewing men to face off. She stayed a few steps behind the trickster's brother, but he soon paused looking back at her. "Where do you stay?"

Her eyes grew wide at her inner conflict regarding what to tell him. She finally returned his puzzled stare with a bashful look, "Your brother's room." Her voice had been quiet, but it seemed like it echoed across the hall. He cocked his head a bit, studying her, but then said no more and made his way to the trickster's room.

She outwardly cringed when they passed the wound up guards, and she caught a brief glance of the pure fury on the god's face and she almost expected a foul storm to strike. Instead he pushed the door open, allowing her to walk in first. He did not pass over the threshold, choosing to stay out in the hall, and she looked at him in concern. He gave her an encouraging smile, "I will stay out here, and handle these two. I'm sure my brother will return soon." She nodded numbly in response. When he closed the door, she quickly got into bed, crawled under the covers and promptly fell into an uneasy sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

_She tried her best to close the door quietly behind her; she slightly cringed when it clicked but then it was silent. She walked lightly across the wooden planks of her floor, holding her breath in false belief that it would somehow make her quieter. As she reached her bedroom door, she heard the familiar coughs and chokes from the room down the hall. Her hand shook a bit as she pushed her door open and slipped inside. _

_She easily slid out of her clothes, which had consisted of a cream cropped shirt, that had left little to the imagination, and tight pants that had clung to her lithe legs. When she took off her pants, she also grabbed the large amount of cash that had been tucked into them. She quickly counted through the money, and when she was satisfied, she placed it under the mattress. She then clambered onto the mattress, shivering under a thread bare blanket. The sun was just beginning to rise, but she hoped to get a few minutes of sleep before her father awoke her. _

_She sat up with a jolt when a loud knock came from her door, "Get up!" was her father's gruff voice. _

_She timidly came out of her room a few minutes later, and slid into the chair across her father. She saw the bags under his eyes, the grey stubble on his chin, and the wrinkles on his forehead which had become more pronounced after her mother had gotten ill. He eyed her suspiciously from across the table, and she focused all of her attention on forcing the stale bread down her throat. _

"_What are you doing today?" he asked her abruptly as she pushed the last piece of bread into her mouth._

"_Going to the palace, to clean," she answered quietly._

_A brief look of confusion passed over her father's face, quickly replaced by his usual stern expression. "Well I'll see you after my shift," he muttered absentmindedly as he stood up. _

_She numbly nodded, not wanting to have their usual morning talk, but as he slipped on his captain's coat over his light armor she spoke up. "Father," she started off softly, and he turned his head to look at her. "Remember you took a leave of absence so that you can take care of momma." _

_She easily noted his eyes immediately emptying, and he stared at her dumbly. She failed to mention to him that it was a permanent leave, but in the past it had only made him more upset. She walked over to him, and helped him take off his coat. His face drained of all color, and she hoped that his shaking hands would soon still. _

"_Go take care of momma," she urged gently. He suddenly turned to fully face her, eyes full of fury. _

"_This is all your fault!" he screamed at her. _

_She took in a deep, shuddering breath."You're right," she simply conceded, slightly nudging his shoulder trying to push him towards her mother's room. He scoffed at his daughter, and made a dash to his wife's room. _

_She heard her mother's racking coughs, and then a comforting hush come from her father, followed by soft words and for the time being silence filled her house. _

_She hurriedly made her way to the palace, avoiding eye contact with everyone; always fearful that she would run into one of her nightly visitors._

_When she had finally made her way through the halls of the palace, she briefly stopped by to check in with the head maid. She then grabbed the cleaning supplies and went straight to the trickster's room, hoping he was off gallivanting with his brother and friends. _

_She knocked on the door, and when she received no reply, she pulled back the door and walked in. He was standing right in front of the door, dressed to go somewhere; his face in a state of alarm. She hurriedly curtsied to him with a muttered apology for scaring him. He said nothing. _

_She had seen him a few times before, but he was usually busy on adventures or pulling pranks on everyone he came into contact with. She felt uncomfortable under his studious stare, and she struggled to hold completely still. _

_He quickly recovered from the surprise of her entrance, "My, my what a pretty girl."She felt a blush making its way from her neck to her cheeks, which caused the trickster to smirk in amusement. _

"_I'm…I'm only your maid."_

_He opened his mouth to speak, his eyes bright with mischief, when he paused and took in a deep breath. His eyebrows furrowed together, eyes dulling just a tad, "You smell like sex," he flippantly commented. Her blush and its heat only deepened, but she said nothing. "Are you sure you are only a maid?" he asked with a wink. _

_She stumbled backwards, "I…I am…sorry my lord." _

_She then tried to side step him to get to the bathroom, but he mirrored her actions. She was then between him and a wall and he took a step closer. She pressed her back against the wall, breathing unsteady. He leaned in towards her, and she cringed at their proximity. _

_He chuckled a bit, "Are you afraid of me?" His voice suddenly deep and dark. She hurriedly shook her head._

_He hummed in response, and then grabbed her chin in between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look straight at him, "Interesting," he muttered. _

_Her breaths came in short gasps, but suddenly stilled when his hold on her chin tightened and his face got closer. His eyes were inquisitive though, and he released her chin but only to bring his fingers up to her eyes. He gently ran them under her eye, and a slight shudder ran through her. His eyes narrowed and he repeated the action, a little rougher. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. He took a step back to take a look at the purple bruising beneath her eye._

"_Its…nothing…" she didn't even bother to make up an excuse for what had caused it. He stared intensely at her for another minute, his eyes unwavering. Without warning he fled the room, leaving her heaving against the wall, fighting the urge to throw up her bread from that morning. _

_She didn't see him at all after that day, if she hadn't known any better she would have guessed that he was avoiding her but she had seen so little of him before the incident that she didn't ponder it too much. However whenever she was with a customer, she couldn't help but think of his pitch-black hair and sneaky alight eyes. She knew better though, she had heard of his own exploits from the maids' gossips in the halls. _

"_Get up!" her father's voice woke her up, and she laid in bed a little bit longer, staring out her small window. She took her time in changing, and going out to the table with her father. He looked over at her, and for a minute she saw his eyes burning with clarity._

"_Your mother is ill."She hid her annoyed expression, but his fierce countenance made her pause. She turned from him, and sprinted down the hall. _

_The coughs were louder, and more clogged. She pushed the door open gently and peered in at her mother. She was lying on her side, face in the small bucket beside the bed. _

_Her mother looked up at her, eyes milky and unfocused; "This is your fault child!" she spat._

_She walked over to the opposite side of her parent's bed, and laid a comforting hand on her mother's back as she heaved again into the bucket. She tried to ignore the small droplets of blood that had dribbled down her mother's chin. _

_Her mother then shifted so that she was lying on her back, eyes locked onto the ceiling. "Do you think your father will take me on a picnic today?" her voice was fluid and whimsical. _

_She sighed and with one last reassuring pat, "I'm sure he will mother."_

_She left quickly afterwards, not needing to remind her father of his leave of absence. She was hurried in her chores, and she made quick times of all the rooms. On her way to leaving the palace grounds she passed a group of riders. It was the god of thunder, the trickster, and their friends. She kept her eyes downcast after briefly making eye contact with the trickster, avoiding his curious glances. _

_She pushed her front door open, throat tight as she strained to hear the normal choked coughs and wheezes of her mother. Even after she closed the door behind her, there was no noise. She ran to her parent's room, but halted on approaching the door. She brought her shaking hand up to knock on it. The gentle knock easily pushed the door open. _

_She had to fight the bile that rose up when she saw the red, the blood stained mattress. She noticed her mother first, curled up on her side facing the bucket. Her eyes were still and open wide, dull and lifeless. There was a trail of blood dropping from her lips and there was no breath leaving her._

_She covered her own mouth to hide the gasp, and body wrenching sobs. She moved farther into the room, her lungs becoming constricted when she saw her father lying beside her mother; a knife, his knife, protruding from his chest. His blood had stained his uniform, now turning it a rusty brown color. _

_She dropped to her knees, body shaking with her silent cries, her tightened throat allowing only pathetic whimpers to escape. She rocked herself back and forth, occasionally crying out her mother and father's name, and still the tears fell. _

_Suddenly she pushed herself up, and ran to her father's side; her grief throwing her into a frenzy. She shook his shoulder violently, "Daddy wake up, daddy!" Her screams vibrated in the room, and she closed her eyes as the tears fell faster. _

_When she opened them, she saw that her father's face had been replaced with the trickster's own pale and defeated face. His green eyes were pastel and dull, no life, no mischief. She took a step back from the bed, shocked into silence. _

_Her whole body began to shake; she lost her will over her limbs and her sobs racked her entire chest. Suddenly someone abruptly wrapped arms around her, causing her to scream out, but her voice was becoming ragged and broken. She tried to turn in her attacker's arms, and when she finally succeeded she became lightheaded. Greeting her was the lustful face of the night guard. _

The god of thunder had only heard a small cry from his brother's room at first. He lightly knocked on the door, but when there was no reply he figured it had been his imagination. But when minutes later the sound came again, only louder, he moved his hand to the doorknob. Then he heard strangled screaming, and choked noises. He pushed the door open without another thought.

He froze in the doorway when he saw her twisting and turning in the bed, tangled up in the sheets. Her face was red, and tear tracks were visible on her cheeks, but her eyes were closed. He was shaken from his reverie when she let out another piercing wail. He made his way to the bed slowly, unsure of how to calm her.

He tensed when he felt a cool hand placed on his forearm; he turned in anger to face the intruder. It was his brother though, the trickster himself. The god of lies shook his head, and then stepped in front of his brother and hurriedly made his way to the bed.

The god of thunder watched as his brother nimbly caught the girls flailing arms and brought them down. He left though when his brother lay down in the bed beside her.

The trickster moved her arms in between their bodies, and then he wrapped his one arm around her waist pulling her shaking body close. She struggled to get out of his hold, but he only tightened his grip; trying his best to ignore the broken wails still escaping from her.

She awoke with a scream, sitting straight up, catching him by surprise. Unconsciously she pulled herself away from him, eyes full of terror. He sat up as well but then made no movement, letting her calm down first. He watched her chest rise and fall rapidly, her cheeks red and wet, her eyes wide and puffy. He then held his arms open to her, which she returned only with a cautious glance at his face. He shifted so that he was better facing her; arms still held open.

Her bottom lip quivered and he saw more tears gather in her eyes; he briefly wondered how many tears the girl had in her but he quickly brushed the thought aside. She ineptly shifted over, slowly, but finally she set herself down in his lap. She let out a ragged sigh against his chest as his arm wound around her body. She grabbed onto a fistful of his shirt, and he soon felt wetness seep through the material. He unsurely rested his chin lightly on her head, and began to slowly rock her back and forth until her eyes dried, her shaking stilled, her breathing evened, and her eyelids drooped in sleep.

**Sorry this was so long in coming…I was forced into a family vacation this past week. There was limited WiFi which was a cruel torture. This chapter was inspired by my friend, she wanted to know more about their past. And in case you didn't pick up on it, the italics represented her memory, except near the end then it turned out to be a dream. Crazy! **


	8. Chapter 8

She had finally stilled in his arms, he leaned back against his pillows, cradling her against his chest. He fought his heavy eyelids, wanting to make sure she slept soundly this time. He held his breath when she let out a shuddering sigh, but she was again quiet after that.

He closed his eyes for a moment; it didn't take much to know what she had been dreaming about…

_He stormed down the hallway, upset over something his brother had done, he would eventually forgive him but for the time being he chose to stay angry. He forcefully pulled his door open, but after his first few steps in, he paused. Something was off. He scanned the room, but everything was in place, everything was clean. _

_ His face relaxed, and he headed for the bookshelf but suddenly redirected himself to the balcony. He slid the door open in a fury, his mind going through a mental list of tricks he could pull on the intruder. _

_ His face paled when he stepped out. She sat in the corner of the balcony, knees pulled up, her chin resting on them, and arms wrapped tightly around her legs. She looked up in shock at him, her eyes bloodshot, full of tears, and broken. He didn't move, only watched as she took in a deep trembling breath. _

_ "I…I…" her voice was silenced by a sudden sob. _

_ He strode over to her, and she tried to make herself smaller. He crouched directly in front of her, and unsurely brought his hand up. He ignored her cringing, as he got closer to her face. He then gently wiped away the tears with the pad of his thumb, soothingly shushing her. _

_ She looked at him; his eyes uncharacteristically soft, lips set straight in seriousness but occasionally open to whisper calming words that really had no meaning. Despite his ministrations her bottom lip quivered as an image of her father flashed in her mind, again. _

_ He ran his fingers over her lips, and she tried to still herself. "Shhh," he whispered, "It's going to be okay. I promise." _

_ She hesitantly nodded, eyes still trained on his. His focus left her lips, and he met her cautious stare. His hands fell to her arms, and he rubbed them reassuringly. He abruptly stood up, and she looked up at him with lost eyes. He held his hands to her, and she instinctively took them; he pulled her up. _

_ She stood on shaky legs, and he let go of one of her hands, but with the other he threaded his fingers through hers. _

_ "Come on," he coaxed, lightly pulling her behind him, and into his room. She blindly followed his steps. She began to feel panic rise in her chest though when he towed her towards the bed. _

_ He let go of her hand, and pulled back the covers of the bed. She tried to keep her breathing even; he patted the bed to encourage her. When her mother's dull eyes flashed in her head, she didn't hesitate to crawl into his bed. _

_ She held her breath, expecting him to get in with her. He did get on the bed, but he sat on top of the covers. _

_He looked over at her; she was lying on her side facing him, eyes guarded. He wiped away the few remaining tears from her cheeks. _

_ "Go to sleep." She bit her lip, his quiet voice making her nervous, but her crying had made her tired. The exhaustion quickly took over and she easily fell asleep. _

_ He watched helplessly the whole night as she constantly cried out for her mom and father. Sleep eluded him, her voice haunting, her words rebounding in his head, over and over. _

_ When she woke up, she was alone in the bed; the spot next to her cold. She quickly scrambled out from under his covers, nervously slipping out of his room. _

_After that day her only job was a maid, she no longer roamed the streets at night looking for lonely men, and she never saw the trickster again until he returned to Asguard under house arrest. She had tried not to concern herself with him when his brother was banished, the king grew ill, and he crowned the ruler. She was only his maid after all._

_ But when he fell, when he willingly let himself fall into an endless abyss, she couldn't help but cry. It reminded her of her parents, her father, who had so willingly given himself to death. _


	9. Chapter 9

She awoke with a start, but was unable to move from the steel hold he had on her. She listened to his steady heartbeat and felt his chest rise and fall with each soft breath, leading her to believe he was asleep. His chin was still resting on her head, keeping her in place; she wiggled a bit against him in an attempt to get out of his arms. Instead his grip only tightened, becoming almost painful. She whispered his name, and jumbled nonsense came from his mouth. She said his name again, and his hold loosened.

She easily moved off him, and sat cross legged beside him. When he finally peeled his eyelids back his eyes shone with amusement at her small gasp of concern upon seeing the black magical gag covering his mouth. Her shaking hand came up to hesitantly touch the gag, and her eyes gathered with tears, "I didn't notice…last night…I'm…I'm so sor…"

He immediately sat up and put a finger up to her lips, effectively silencing her. His finger fell from her lip, and fell to her arm; he gently traced the forming bruises on her forearms with a troubled expression on his face. He pulled away from her, and abruptly got up. She watched in distress as he walked away, but he quickly returned with a small piece of paper and a quill. He hurriedly scribbled something down, and handed her the paper. He stared mindlessly out the window while she read.

_**I'm sorry.**_

A ghost of a smile spread across her face, he didn't say what he was sorry for and she knew he would never say it again, but for her that was enough. He finally looked to her, and she gave him a real smile, "Thank you," she whispered, her voice a tad bit choked.

He rolled his eyes, and her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. He quickly took the paper from her hand and wrote more down.

_**No need to get sentimental**_

A small laugh came from her, causing his eyes to light up in return. But then she bit her lip, and uneasily spoke up, "How did you…how did you know I was an orphan that first night?"

His eyes widened, and he slowly got onto the bed beside her. She watched him, his head bowed as he scribbled away on the paper. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, his forehead pulled together in anxiety. He then held out the folded paper, and she nervously took it from his hand.

**That night you slept in my room, after I found you on my balcony, you cried a lot. You were in a great amount of pain, and I was going to use a new trick I had mastered. I watched your dream. I was going to give you a good one. Your dream was dark though. Your parents' images kept appearing, sometimes dead but sometimes alive, yelling at you. I simply figured it out from there. And then all these men kept appearing with raised fists, coming towards you, and then suddenly it was me, and the pain you were feeling was suddenly very concentrated. I couldn't seem to conjure up anything happy so I quickly withdrew. **

She tried to stifle a small sob, and his hand shot out to rest reassuringly on her shoulder. She tensed under his touch though. He didn't move his hand from her, instead let it stubbornly remain.

"Why…why does this always happen to me?" she asked him, begging for an answer.

He lay down, on his side, facing her. She mirrored him, and curled up under the covers. He moved his hand so that it was resting on her hip, and she moved closer to him, allowing his arm to easily wrap around her waist. She tucked her head right under his chin, her hands curled up between their bodies.

She didn't cry, she had shed enough tears, instead she focused on tracing the threads in his shirt. After an hour or so passed, she grew weary of listening to the deafening silence, only broken by his deep breathing.

"How will you eat?" she suddenly mumbled into his chest. His body shook with contained laughter, and he quickly sat up again with pen and paper. She unwillingly sat up as well, expectantly waiting for the note.

**The king is quite the one for theatrics. I am to be taken to a secure room, with many guards I assume, where they will allow me to eat under watchful eyes. Still a few little muttered tricks while eating won't hurt. **

"You'll never get that…that thing off if you do."

**It only hinders my magic and speech. And right now honey, you're the only one I talk to. There is nothing else that this gag keeps me from doing.**

She read the note, and then slowly read it again. A blush spread across her cheeks, and she kept her eyes on the note, avoiding his curious gaze. He swiftly grabbed the paper from her hands with a smirk.

**Ahhh, so maybe there is something else. How can a prince kiss the damsel in distress with a gag? It seems you are looking in the wrong place then, the god of lies and mischief maybe isn't the prince you need. **

As she read, she could practically hear the words in his sarcastic tone. She rolled her eyes, and did not know how else to respond.

Finally though she scooted closer to him, note abandoned at her side. His eyes were guarded, his face blank and emotionless. She gently grabbed his hands out of his lap, and gripped them tightly within hers'. Suddenly with a deep breath she shifted so that she was sitting on her knees and she leaned her head forward bringing her but inches from his face. She then diverted a bit and left a lingering kiss on his cheek, and with a shaking whisper in his ear, "Not need…I…I just want."

He didn't move, didn't react, she could hardly feel him breathing. She briefly looked at him; his eyes were wide yet calm and concentrated solely on the window. She let her head fall, resting her forehead on his shoulder, waiting for him. As the seconds passed her breaths became shallow and quicker as panic set in.

She froze when his body trembled for a second, and he finally resumed steady breathing. He shrugged his shoulder forcing her to pull back and look at him. He studied her face, and then hesitantly brought up his hands. He cupped her cheeks gently drawing her a bit nearer again, still staring, unblinking, unwavering. He shook his head at her though, his eyes suddenly downcast. He then dropped her face, and picked up the paper.

**No you don't. **

She read the three words quickly, and then a second time. In that period he easily moved away from her. When she finally looked up, she watched as his eyes took in every detail of the room, everything but her; which was odd because he was never one to avoid unnerving eye contact. She bit her lip, and continued to wait. His eyes finally fell on her; they were narrowed down into slits, his jaw was locked, and nostrils a bit flared.

His facial expression, and green stoic eyes infuriated her, and she wished she would have, could have, slapped him instead of kissed him.

"Don't…don't tell me what I want." She whispered, but despite the lack of strength in her voice, the words were still laced with fury. His face remained indifferent, and he crossed his arms in child-like defiance.

"Why is it so hard for you to believe that there are some of us, who genuinely care for you? You spend all this time secretly moping and bullying other people because you aren't your father's favorite. But you are your brother's favorite, he loves you more than you deserve." The trickster's eyebrows rose in surprise at her small jab, but she kept pushing, "Isn't that enough? And I…" here her voice faltered from its previous strong rant. His one cocked eyebrow indicated his impatience in her small pause. "You are my only friend. Is that not…isn't that enou…shouldn't that be enough?"

He was silent, as was to be expected, but he made no grab for the paper. He turned from her and lay back against his pillows. She couldn't stop the sudden tremor of her bottom lip, he closed his eyes. She hurriedly got off the bed, and made her way over to the couch. She tenderly picked up her book before pushing herself into the corner of the couch. Knees up, book resting against her legs, she began to read, her eyes greedily taking in every word. Every word that didn't involve him, didn't remind her of his solemnity, didn't bring up the image of his empty eyes, and she turned page after page.

Her eyes became glued on one word when she saw a dark shadow in her peripheral, and then she watched as a small piece of paper fluttered down, finally landing on the pages. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears; feel the blood racing in her veins.

**Are you sure?**

He had gracefully sat down in the corner opposite of her, an empty space between them. He watched her, noticed the sudden struggle for her to breathe deeply, saw her furrowed eyebrows relax, and then met her brimming eyes.

She nodded, and then slowly placed her book on the floor. He stretched forward at that moment, wrapping his hands tightly around each of her wrists before gently pulling her closer to him. She sat in front of him, and he leaned closer, resting his forehead against hers. Her smile was barely contained, but suddenly she started screaming.

The screams were broken by the occasional burst of laughter as the trickster ruthlessly tickled her stomach. She fell onto her back, begging him to stop but her words were lost in her endless giggles. He suddenly stilled when his bedroom door was thrown open.

There in the doorway stood his brother, face red in anger, but it quickly fell when he took in the situation. His eyes widened, and his face instantly paled.

"I thought…well umm…sorry." He then quickly turned his back to them and slammed the door shut.

The trickster chuckled, which was furthered when a hiccup escaped her mouth. He leaned back heavily against the couch, his attack quickly forgotten.

She closed her eyes, a smile on her face, but suddenly she felt the slightest flutter against her chest. Her eyes peered open to see the note. She picked it up almost reverently, and unfolded it.

**I wish I wasn't hindered by the gag. **

**I wish I could kiss you. **


	10. Chapter 10

She stretched out lazily the next morning, finding herself in his bed, alone. She turned on her side, and saw his silhouette on the balcony as the sun slowly rose. She sat up, and silently padded over, before slowly sliding the door open. She slipped out the door, and hesitantly approached his uptight form. Her hand ghosted over his arm, alerting him to her presence; even though she knew he was already aware of her. He looked down at her, his eyes still dull with sleep but he forced a weary smile her way before turning his attention back to the city and sun that seemed to make it glitter. She followed him, nervously biting her lip.

He breathed out a heavy sigh before he grabbed her hand and forcefully threaded his fingers through hers. She didn't resist his sudden tight hold on her hand. She glanced at him from the side; his face was pale, washed out. She squeezed his hand, drawing his attention back to her. They stood there for a long time, in peaceful silence; at some point she leaned her body against his, head resting lightly on his shoulder.

When the bustling noises of the city finally reached their ears, he pulled her inside with him, gentle but tense. She held onto his hand reassuringly, both for his sake and hers. He grabbed pen and paper, skillfully scratching something down with one hand, not willing to let go of her hand. Then he led her to his door, where he gently opened the door in an attempt to not startle his brother.

The god of thunder looked at his brother quizzically, one eyebrow raised, which the trickster mirrored perfectly before handing him the note.

**I am hungry. And I would like to request that you get some food for the young maiden. **

The god of thunder looked up, over his brother's shoulder to the girl who was curiously staring at him, still looking rather intimidated.

"As you wish brother," his voice rumbled, "I will take you to the place father designated," both brothers simultaneously rolled their eyes, "And I will make sure your maiden is given our best food."

She blushed at his words, and she saw an amused smile spread across his face, before he returned his attention back to his sulking brother.

The trickster grabbed for his note back, and then using the door frame skillfully wrote more.

**Is the room, and guards really necessary? **

His brother's laugh rumbled down the hallway, "I think not dear brother. But as you know father has his own plans, his own way of doing things," the god of thunder then turned his eyes to the maid, "Sound familiar?" He winked.

She laughed while the trickster seethed at his brother's implication.

"Come, come brother! Let us go get you some provisions, and on the way we can stop at the kitchen for your lady friend." He ignored the trickster's narrowed eyes, and turned his light jest to her. "Go be free of this beast for a few hours! One can only be with him a few hours before going crazy." His smile was wide at his brother's expense, and she giggled at his words.

The trickster turned to glare at her, which only made her smile bigger. She stood on her tiptoes, and then gave him a small kiss on the cheek before he was pulled away by his amused brother.

"Well now brother I must say I did not expect you to settle down before me. This is a surprise most pleasant." He looked back at his trailing brother, who was struggling to write as he walked.

**Who said anything about settling down?**

The god of thunder's joy could not be deterred, even seeing his brother's face red in anger, or possibly embarrassment. His laugh rang in the trickster's ear, irritating him further, wishing he could rain down every sort of magical trick upon his brother.

"Dear brother, she has you wrapped around her finger, and you seem only too happy to oblige her."

**I am only worried for her; seeing as her safety was threatened by your own guards.**

** Don't call me dear brother ever again, or I will find a way to free myself of this gag**

The god of thunder couldn't help but cringe at the accusation of his own men attacking the girl, and he did not doubt for a second that the minute his brother's mouth was free he would use his skills to their maximum ability against him. Still he could not help but prod his brother further, "Is this the only reason you wish to be free of the gag," he turned to wiggle his eyes at his brother in a most suggestive manner. Feeling accomplished when the trickster's eyes narrowed, and his face became strained at his lack of words, the god of thunder smiled and led his brother to the kitchen.

The trickster returned an hour later, to see her curled up on the couch with her book, and an empty platter beside her. She looked up, being interrupted by his brother's amused cackling. The god of lies looked at her, annoyance defining his face, but she caught the small glimmer of glee in his eyes. He turned back to glare at his boisterous brother but the door had already been closed.

She opened her mouth to ask him how his breakfast was, when suddenly the door was pushed open again, the trickster's brother only peeking his head in, "Now you two behave, I'm still too young to be an uncle."

She felt the crimson rise from her neck all the way up to her cheeks; the trickster, if his mouth wasn't covered, would have gaped at his brother. The comment taking the ever calm god of tricks by surprise, but the door was once again shut. The silence was deafening, and tense. She held her hands to her cheeks, in hopes the blush would dull a bit in color; his back was still to her.

Finally he turned to her, his face passive. She gave him a timid smile, her hands immediately falling to her lap. He strode over to the couch, sitting next to her; but there was an inch or so of empty space between them. He extended his hand and rested it gently on her folded hands. She tensed at his touch, and he chuckled a bit. But when he looked up at her face, his hidden smile froze. Her eyes were locked on their hands, her face looking anxious, eyes dry but looking almost empty.

He removed his hand slowly, and her eyes shot to his in alarm. He looked away from her sudden burning eyes, so that he could write.

**I hope this doesn't mean you're going to start sleeping on the couch again? My brother doesn't know what he speaks of.**

She shook her head absentmindedly in answer to his question, but her attention was still on the note. Finally she forced her eyes to meet his, "I know…I'm sorry…it's just…I use to…I just can't…it brings back too many bad memories."

**I'm a patient man**

She knew he had a cheeky smile plastered under the gag, and she hit his arm in mock disgust, but finally looked up at him with a smile.

_**Authors Note: **_**Geeeez Thor became a troll; I don't even know where that came from. You'll thank me for this comedic break in the future though. Sorry for the delay, getting ready for college and work are both kicking my ass. Plus I went through an intense phase of crying during comic con weekend due to the fact that I wasn't there. However I discovered on November 8, 2013 my baby returns :)**


	11. Chapter 11

It was the following morning that she began to grow weary of the silence, the atmosphere of boredom weighing heavily on her. He noticed her muteness of the morning, but she had little power to assist, to help alleviate the quiet. She studied him from the comforts of his sheets and blankets, her eyes anxiously following his slow, languid pacing around the room, a new book being held in his hands. Occasionally he would meet her gaze, but for the most part gave his attention to the book.

A small sigh of relief came from her when they heard the familiar firm knock of his brother. He intensely stared at her, as she feigned a look of innocence, before allowing his brother in.

The god of thunder smiled cheekily at her lounging position in the trickster's bed. She returned the smile, though in a less amused manner. The god of thunder simply moved his entertained look to his brother, which earned him a foul glare.

"Oh, come come brother," his booming voice echoed through the room, "I am merely happy for your acquirement of a companion."

She sniggered at his choice of words, while the trickster approached his brother presenting him his wrists for the cuffs. The brother hesitantly put the cuffs on, his face falling to sorrow. She watched them carefully, noticing the god of thunder's lingering look of sadness as he met the trickster's stony stare, but she was the only to notice the god of lies' posture relaxing.

Her hands gripped the blanket's edge tightly, as the brothers moved towards the door. She gave a longing smile when the trickster turned to give her a wistful look, followed up with a wink.

"Goodbye most fair maiden."

The door then shut close, but before the words had even finished echoing through the room, she was out from the covers and off the bed. She was quickly at the door; gentle as she opened the door a bit, the only noise being a slight click. She stuck only her head out, just catching the brothers turn around a corner.

After years of tiptoeing around fanatical ladies and fickle lords, the worse of course being the trickster; she was able to silently follow the two gods. She quickly realized their destination, the kitchen. She then diverted from the brothers' path and took a servants route to a less used kitchen door. She slipped in quietly, her entrance blocked by a counter and a rack of food. She stilled her movements, held her breath and listened.

She heard murmured chattering from the golden hair god, but a constant silence from his brother; though she did hear the occasional clanging of silverware against a plate, meaning the gag had been removed.

Suddenly the trickster spoke, abruptly interrupting his brother, "Please brother, leave me in peace."

Despite her blocked view, she knew a slight pout was forming on the god of thunder's face, but she was too happy for some alone time to care much. She waited a beat after the door closed before peaking her head out. The trickster, however, was distracted from her presence when the main door swung widely back open.

She immediately crouched, hiding herself again, this time though she had a vantage point, being able to see between the spaces of the racks. She watched his face tense as, not his brother, but the mighty warrior maiden strode in.

Before the trickster could even finish chewing his food the warrior maiden pulled him up by the neck of his shirt.

"What is wrong with you?!"

The trickster struggled to compose himself before answering. "Is one, such as myself, not even allowed a measly bite or two?"

The reply was a low growl, and then silence. A few tense seconds passed before she spoke up again, "You betrayed your family and world, tried to destroy your brother's little planet, and then when you are brought back you bring your brother back under your spell, but you, in no way have changed!"

The trickster's face relaxed at her accusations, and he merely replied cheekily, "The gift of a silver tongue I suppose."

"You are a coward and have committed treason. But you are still allowed to stroll around here with a tramp on your arm!"

It was then that he managed to squirm from her hold on his shirt, quickly reaffirming himself by staying close; the fury suddenly in his eyes.

"My relationships are none of your concern," he managed to keep his voice level, but it came through gritted teeth revealing the wrath behind his words.

The warrior goddess did not seem to be put off by his remaining closeness in any way, in fact she chuckled a bit at the silent seething god.

"You really must care for this girl, or at least think you do. But is she worth it, for the god of lies and tricks? Is she enough? Worth the price of losing your clever destructible lies and games?" Her leering voice made the maid bristle while he remained unaffected, at least physically.

"Why are you provoking me?" He sat slowly sat back down, eyes unwavering as he held the warrior goddess'.

"In hopes it will work, and you will be rightfully punished."

"It isn't working, and it really never will Have you not met my brother? I am not so easy to anger and action like you and him."

She saw the warrior goddess clench both hands into fists at her side, but her face remained calm and neutral, her beauty shining even as she suppressed her ever growing rage.

"Very well." With a huff she rotated on her heel, her long cape furling out around her as she did so. After the door slammed shut, his eyes immediately fell to hers', still hidden behind the rack and food. She couldn't hold his gaze though, the goddess' words rebounding in her head. Uncertainty had gained a firm foothold in her thoughts, and her hands shook as she wondered how long the god of lies would truly have her for. With that though she quickly fled the room. Both were silent; he too afraid and unsure of her feelings and she too afraid to face the questions that came by being with a prince, a god, especially one known for his deceit and games.

_**Ummm yay for update? I'm so sorry this has taken so long! I have become one of THOSE authors…Anyway if you care to know I started my first semester of college (meh. So much work…) and I participated in NaNoWriMo (you know the National Novel Writing Month thing where I TRIED to write a 50,000 word novel…for some reason 30,000 just didn't cut it…bummer.) I'm sure you really didn't care to hear my excuses but there they are! The warrior goddess is Sif, a lot of her anger in the above conversation stems from jealousy because I think she fancied Loki a bit (who wouldn't though?!). After being away from this story for so long I'm seriously hitting myself in the face right now for the lack of names…this story turned out to be a lot longer than planned. WHATEVER…can't go back now! If any of you are still out there and still reading, I hope you like it and please review! 3**_


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